Talking about myself is one of the hardest things to do. I never know what people want to know.

I love the color blue. I like to sing (and can't, really). I love reading fantasy books (and the occasional romance). I dislike intolerance. I hate being alone.

I hate abusive relationships even more, and I've had two of those — each one producing a daughter. The relationships lasted 10 years each, because I couldn't get up the courage to leave.

But leave I did, and I learned a lot — about people, about relationships, about different ways of doing things, about how to stand up for myself and about how to handle a separation. I'm lucky, I guess — I got to go through all that fun twice.

I'm from Quebec, which is a French province in Canada. We like to do things a little differently here. Long-term relationships are mostly common-law ones — no wedding and no paperwork. Let me tell you, lacking a marriage certificate doesn't make a divorce any easier, though.

But it does give a different perspective on marriage and relationships. I suppose I could fit into any category: contemplating divorce, in the process, or cleaning up the mess. Tough to put a finger on which stage of a relationship I'm at when my marriage was never rubber-stamped married to begin with. Most days, I'm navigating the process, but I wonder if that won't always be the case.

I live with my two daughters and two cats. I'd have a horse or 12 — I ride — but they don't fit in the house. No men. I'm not even thinking of dating, though if Brad Pitt walked into my life, I wouldn't say no.

I'm an online entrepreneur, supporting myself through a freelance writing business I built from scratch after I left my last husband. I'm also learning to play guitar, I'm learning psychology through university courses, and I'm learning I hate being the only person washing dishes or doing laundry.

Such is the trade-off for a life of independence — you're always missing a set of arms. But it's worth it. It's amazing what you realize you can accomplish when you're not feeling oppressed.